Discussion

Anywhere good to eat in Coos Bay?

I just moved from the SF Bay Area to Oregon's bay area and I was hoping people could recommend some good (or at least OK) places to eat in Coos Bay. The few posts I can find about coos bay all seem aimed at tourists passing through on 101 and I'm hoping some locals can point me in the direction of cheap everyday dinner places. Ethnic (Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese...) places would be great but I have a feeling that that might be a little bit of a lost cause. Thanks.

I'm not quite local, but I empathize with you. I've taken a few trips to the coast from Roseburg area. Though recommended by some, we ate lunch at The Portside in Charleston which was ok, not really cheap, and not ethnic.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/526734 talks of Monkeybusiness, a Mexican cart in the "boat basin parking lot across from the halibut charter boat place" in Charleston - I don't know if it still exists there and I have not eaten there. The cart scenes in OR are different than you're probably used to.

Thanks for the reply. I'm actually living in charleston so I swung by the marina to see if Monkeybusiness was still there. It's open for lunch and although it's not mexican in any way it's a great little beach hamburger and seafood shack. They make really good fresh oyster strips and my friend speaks very highly of their burgers- which looked excellent and come with jalapenos. It's not gourmet cooking but it's all good fresh food and the owners are friendly. It's a nice place to grab a bite to eat if you're headed out towards Cape Arago or doing some crabbing off the docks in the marina. If you're going to stop in charleston for a sit down meal I'd recommend the High Tide Cafe for clam chowder and a beer. Pretty good local seafood place and reasonably cheap.

I hope you enjoy the area~ I grew up outside of North Bend... There aren't many Chow-ish places... The old stand-bys have always been the Portside in Charleston and Benetti's Italian (downtown CB across from the Egyptian Theatre). They will be nothing compared to what you are used to, I am sure... but they've kept locals happy for years. I've heard good things about the new Italian place in North Bend (can't remember the name of the street, but it's basically across from Safeway).

If you find any gems, please post! I'll check them out next time I return!

Porta is probably right- My boss has good things to say about it but it's a little out of my price range. Clausen oyster farm north of North Bend has great deals on fresh oysters 12 for 6 dollars so that's always an option. Seafood is clearly the way to go around here (not that I'm complaining).

Thanks dinerdiva- your blog looks really helpful. It's definitely given me some more restaurants to check out. I'm going to have to go try El Sol- I've been craving mexican since I got up here. I'm actually writing this from Sozo's which has good pastries, solid sandwiches, and good home made quiche and daily specials. I'd also second your recommendation on Roger's Zoo, which despite having an incredibly shady looking entrance has good beer and delicious is eccentric pizza.

I'm glad that it was helpful to you. I enjoy your feedback as well. Let me know how things taste. I was a solo transplant to the area, forced to discover places by trial and error all on my own... I'm still discovering! The Coney Station serves deep fried pickles. It's a nice bar with a pretty sturdy menu too. (They have a restaurant as well) But when you're daring.. you should try them. You'll either love them or hate them, but you have to try them! -DinerDiva